Thought 7nm AMD Ryzen processors were impressive? 2nm processors may be on the way
At this point we all know that AMD Ryzen 3rd Generation processors and Navi graphics cards are built on a 7nm process, and that a 5nm process is on the way soon – but TSMC has just started development on a 2nm process that could be behind the best processors a few years from now.
This news comes from an announcement made by the Taiwanese manufacturing plant-to-tech outlet Digitimes, but there isn’t exactly a wealth of information about the technology available – surprising no one.
Right now, the smallest commercially-available manufacturing process is 7nm, which is found in AMD Ryzen 3000 and 4000 processors, along with AMD Navi and the latest Qualcomm platforms. And, we already know that the AMD Zen 4 platform, slated for launch in 2021, will be shifting to a 5nm architecture.
It’s way too early to get any kind of information about what 2nm processors will be capable of – or when we’ll even see them in readily-available products. But, if the jump from 12nm to 7nm when AMD Zen 2 hit the streets tells us anything, it’s that a smaller, more efficient manufacturing process can signify a night-and-day difference overall.
It will be years before we see this 2nm process enter mass-production, but it still provides an intriguing window into the future of processors. Just a couple years ago we were amazed that 7nm processors were a thing, and from here, we’re just excited to see what silicon will look like five years from now.
Via Tom’s Hardware